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New Community Center Now Open in Bend

Larkspur Center open with pool, fitness, Senior Center

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Bendites have a new place to work out indoors, with the opening of the long-awaited Larkspur Community Center: Home of the Bend Senior Center. Bend Park and Recreation District held a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 2, and the Center officially opened April 5. Larkspur, located in east Bend off 15th Street and Reed Market Road, once only housed the much-smaller Bend Senior Center.

Nicole Vulcan

Larkspur's state-of-the-art wheelchair lift in the pool area is the only one in North America, Center staff said.

Now, attached to the original facility is a 5,000-square-foot warm-water pool that features a current channel, hot tub and bubble benches, as well as a unique pool lift for those accessing the water in a wheelchair. The upstairs of the Center includes a walk/jog track, an 8,000-square-foot fitness center and several fitness rooms with maple-sprung floors. Due to COVID restrictions, the Bend Senior Center portion of the building is currently closed for social activities—though fitness classes remain open.

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Nicole Vulcan

The fitness center includes an indoor walking/jogging track, as well as fitness equipment users can sync with an app to track fitness data.

With the opening of Larkspur comes a temporary closure of the fitness rooms at Juniper Swim and Fitness Center in midtown Bend, where an indoor pool renovation project is currently underway. Juniper's indoor/outdoor 50-meter pool remains open. BPRD plans to reopen the other facilities at Juniper in mid-June.

Since COVID restrictions remain in place, BPRD recommends people make a reservation for classes and other activities at both facilities. Reservations can be booked up to 15 minutes before an activity takes place, with drop-in slots available by checking in with welcome desk staff.

Larkspur Community Center: Home of the Bend Senior Center
Open Mon-Fri 7am-8pm; Sat 8am-6pm; Hours subject to change
1600 SE Reed Market Road., Bend
541-388-1133
Reserve classes at bendparksandrec.org

Nicole Vulcan

A sculpture outside the Larkspur center, titled "Time," by Carol Gold, curated by Bend's Art in Public Places group.

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Nicole Vulcan has been editor of the Source since 2016. While the pandemic reduced "hobbies" to "aspirations," you can mostly find her raising chickens, walking dogs, riding all the bikes and attempting to turn a high desert scrap of land into a permaculture oasis. (Progress: slow.)

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